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Bradley ´sorry´ for Egypt failure

Egypt coach Bob Bradley expressed sympathy for the nation after his side failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

The Egyptians beat Ghana 2-1 in the second leg of their play-off on Tuesday, but they went down 7-3 on aggregate as they failed once again to make their first World Cup finals since 1990.

And Bradley could not hide his disappointment at the final whistle at an opportunity missed to give the country - still in chaos due to ongoing political and social instability - a much-needed lift.

"I am sorry for all the Egyptian fans. I came here to get to the World Cup but we could not qualify," the American told local television reporters. "I am sad because I wanted to make the fans happy, especially with the problems that they are currently facing."

Having been beaten 6-1 in the first leg, Egypt's chances of reaching the finals in Brazil were always minimal, even though they went two goals ahead in Cairo.

Bradley's own position had come under scrutiny after that disastrous performance in the first leg, and his spell in charge of the country now looks to be all but over amid reports that the Egyptian FA will not renew his contract.

On the pitch, Bradley claimed that the heavy defeat in Kumasi was always likely to leave his side with too much to do.

"In the World Cup qualifiers, we played eight matches, won seven and lost only one but that was not enough to go to Brazil," he added. "We did our best but the first match made it an almost impossible task for us.

"The players, however, showed to all of Africa that they are good players with their performance in this match and I'm proud of them."